Curiouser and Curiouser
by Huaile
Summary: "Why is there a hole in my garden?" He smiled conversationally and shrugged. "I wonder." They stopped at the edge of the hole, and Tessa gazed down in trepidation. And then, Jem continued, "But, don't you know? If there is a hole, you simply must jump in."
1. Down The Rabbit Hole

**As seen from its title, this is an Alice in Wonderland derivation. Hopefully it'll be good? This'll be my first actual series. With plot and everything. Um. It's going to be a _bit _darker than the original Lewis Carroll book/Disney movie, but not like the Tim Burton movie. Yes- Tessa is the protagonist, but I'd rather not have hate from that. She's actually a rather enjoyable character, despite what most think. Anyway- on to the story.**

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Theresa Gray had always enjoyed reading- she loved, as a toddler, sitting in her older brother Nathaniel's arms as he read picture books to her; and as she grew older, she loved going to their backyard and sitting under the tree with him, each reading a different book. They read every day in the summer, from just after dinner, when the sun was highest, until supper- whenever the sun went down.

Today, their parents were out, so it was just her and Nate, in the backyard, reading. It was silent, but in the companionable way. It was rather warm outside, the grass was slightly damp from the drizzle that'd happened mere hours ago, and it would probably stain her dress- but Tessa didn't particularly care, although she had been chided many times by her parents for it. As for Nate...he only cared when it was a dress he'd bought.

Tessa clutched the book to her chest, smiling. She absolutely adored Shakespeare, and _Macbeth_ was her personal favorite. It was rather dark- but something about it made it beautiful in it's own way.

"Tessie," Tessa scowled up at her older brother and he grinned apologetically—that cute little smile that made all the girls swoon, the one where the left corner of his mouth quirked up higher than the right, and made his whole face light up, his blue eyes dancing mischievously—at her before continuing, "It is rather hot, do you want a drink?"

"No thank you," Tessa returned to her book, waving Nate away as he told her she should go inside. It was rather hot, though. It was only moments after Nate had gone inside that the noises started.

It started out with just a slight rustling in the bushes in front of her, then she swore there was someone looking at her from the bushes. Now, Theresa Gray had always been told she was a sensible girl, very mature for her age, and highly intelligent. So she was _quite _shocked when she saw a snowy white rabbit dart out of the bushes, a beautiful rabbit with silvery-white eyes, like a tarnished shilling. There was nothing remarkable about the rabbit- maybe it's odd coloring, but nothing else, except that it ran right up to her and stood on its hind legs, mere inches from her outstretched legs. It sniffed the air by her and cocked its head, oddly intelligent eyes staring at her for a few long moments. Then its eyes widened and it turned away to mumble to itself,

"Oh dear, oh dear! I shall be late!"

The fact that the rabbit had begun to talk to itself was rather odd, and Tessa attributed it to the sun, and when it darted away, but though she was filled with a burning curiosity, she did not pursue it. She was not _stupid_, she would not chase after foreign things. She had read many books where people had done rash things like that, and they did not fair well.

The rabbit's head popped out of the bushes and it gazed at her for a long moment, head tipped, as if it were confused. Then it disappeared into the bushes, Tessa staring after it. The process repeated a few seconds later, and now it definitely looked confused. As if it wanted her to follow it. But Theresa Gray was a sensible girl, and sensible girls did not go chasing after talking rabbits, however appealing they seemed.

Now, back to _Macbeth._ Tessa ignored the rustling in the bushes- now that she knew what was making the noises, it didn't really matter that much anymore. It was just a rabbit, and maybe its family. Strange though, she'd never seen any rabbits, and neither Nate or Mother or Father had said anything about rabbits. That was when she was unceremoniously scooped up by firm hands.

"Nate! Put me _down_!" Tessa spluttered. She'd dropped _Macbeth_, and if any of the pages were torn, Nate was dead.

"I apologize, but I am not your brother," the voice above her chuckled and Tessa lost her breath, her head snapping up. There was a strange man carrying her, one with a coloring she'd never seen on anyone before. His hair was bright snowy white, falling around his face, wavy-straight, and his eyes were silver, like a shilling. He was pale, like someone who never really went out much in the sun. He seemed familiar somehow...

"I _do_ apologize for this, but it would have been much simpler if you had just followed me." He actually sounded remorseful, but then he smiled, "I will put you down when we get there, I promise. I _am _a gentleman."

"Get where? And who are you?"

"You may call me Jem, and we are going into that hole," he nodded with his head and Tessa frowned. There was a giant hole, maybe a yard in diameter, just a few feet from them. And with Jem's long strides, they would be there in a few moments. But wait.

"Why is there a hole in my garden?"

He smiled conversationally and shrugged. "I wonder." They stopped at the edge of the hole, and Tessa gazed down in trepidation. Pitch black, and absolutely no sound. And then, Jem continued, "But, don't you know? If there is a hole, you simply _must _jump in." Unceremoniously, he tossed her into the hole, laughing delightedly all the while.

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**This was so short only because this was the prologue. Sorry, haha**

**If there's any questions (like who's who), drop a review. I'll get back to any reviews privately and in the next chapters.  
And about reviews. Here's a new rule: no new chapter until the previous chapter gets at least five reviews. **

**By the way; I am totally accepting of critiques- I encourage it actually. Thanks!**


	2. Eat Me, Drink Me

**There's a scene in this chapter that's not from ****Alice in Wonderland****, but from ****Through the Looking Glass****. And I'm perfectly well of this, if someone will later point that out. It just flowed smoother that way. ****This chapter kinda really sucks sorry.**

**Reviews:**

_**pokewarrior21: **_**Yes, ****Alice in Wonderland**** was originally a book, by Lewis Carroll. It's a really good read, that and its sequel ****Alice Through The Looking Glass**** (hint hint). The concepts are a bit vague to me as well (haven't read the book in ages, but the movies are kinda fresh. Rereading the book to make sure everything's right)**

_**SilverCarstairs: **_**Yeah I loved both TID and AiW, and I've read various spinoff mangas of it (my favorite so far has to be Are You Alice?) and thank you!**

**_Vialovesbooks:_**** That's because the rabbit she saw WAS Jem. More on that later, though**

_**Sapphire131: **_**I can't tell who any of the characters are, but you'll be able to tell soon (I hope n) There's a few hints to another character in the beginning of this chapter, though. As for Henry; he'll come later. And wessa or jessa? I don't know yet, to be honest. (whoops almost gave away who Will was) but I'll put up a poll later- you lot can decide for me!**

_**Guest: **_**ha I'll try not to disappoint...I'd have had this up earlier except one of my betas didn't get back to me so this was only edited once...hopefully there won't be any mistakes...**

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Tessa _hated_ heights.

She especially hated the feeling of falling- she hated the way her stomach rose and she hated feeling so _helpless_, flailing through the air. Maintaining control was one of the most important things to her, and _falling_ was the exact opposite of that.

And it wasn't like Jem was a good companion either; he kept muttering about being late and the Queen being angry and tarts and tea- it wasn't any help at all. He seemed rather cross at her now- no, more like he was _sulking_. Right on cue, Jem spoke,

"You are ignoring me."

"It is rather impossible to ignore anyone that makes no attempt to conversate."

Jem lapsed into silence then, obviously hurt. Tessa didn't mind; now she could at least think. Either they had been falling for a long time, or they were merely falling very slowly; she could see everything that passed as they fell. It was rather odd, it was almost as if this hole, tunnel- whatever it was, almost resembled a house. There was a bed, come and gone, and now there were cabinets, as if they'd moved from the bedroom to the kitchen. One had a pot of tea that Jem grasped, and the next had cups and plates. He poured tea and placed the tea pot on the little table to his left- now gone. Tessa found a platter of cookies on the upcoming shelf and Jem smiled and handed her the tea.

Down, down, down. It was getting rather tiresome now; there was nothing to do except think. She couldn't see what was approaching because it was growing ever darker; she could barely even see the gleam of Jem's hair and eyes.

"How do I get out?" Tessa wondered aloud. He seemed not to hear her question. Instead he began to hum a classical piece. Tessa repeated the question, but Jem just hummed louder. After a while, he lapsed into silence again.

Tessa found she was just dozing off when Jem said, brightly, "We're here," And then-finally, _finally_- their fall stopped with an abrupt thump on a pile of twigs and leaves (normally, a fall from that height would have broken a few bones. Or maybe they'd only been falling very slowly, and not from such a high height). As Tessa collected herself, Jem glanced at his silver-and-jade pocketwatch and lost his breath.

"No time, I'll be late-!" he turned to her, and, worry shining in his eyes, said, "you'll be able to figure it out on your own, I must-" he glanced at the watch again, "_oh_, I am so very late!" And then he was gone again. She started after him immediately, but by the time she rounded the corner, there was no trace of him.

The room she found herself in was round, and there were...twelve doors. The ceiling was high, so high, in fact, that the incandescent lamps hanging from it appeared to be floating in midair. Each door was locked, she noted. She didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing. She didn't really care- all she wanted was to go home, really. The only thing besides the doors and the lamps in the room was a little glass table, and the only thing on it was a tiny golden key.

"For one of the doors," Tessa mused aloud. It had to be- where else had Jem gone?

But, on a glance, the locks were too large for the key (or was the key too small?) and none would open. And then- a little red velvet curtain. The door behind it was rather tiny, only about fifteen inches high, and- the key fit!

Tessa opened the door and managed to peer in and couldn't help smiling. It was the loveliest garden she'd ever seen, like something out of Narnia. She could see beds of bright flowers, and a river, and a little trodden path, and butterflies, and oh, how she longed for a book.

But there was no use in longing, so Tessa (who—she reminded herself sternly—was very sensible) went back to the table to put the key on it, and this time there was a little glass, almost like the wine glasses that were only taken down on special occasions, like Christmas and New Years. She noted that the glass had not been there before; and did that mean someone else was in the room? But who, and where? (she swore she saw the glint of shining green-gold eyes, and a mischievous grin, but she couldn't be sure. They were gone when she blinked). There was a note slipped under the glass, and it had two words on it.

_Drink Me._

Tessa frowned and put the key down on the table. The drink didn't _look_ suspicious (in fact, it was a light pinkish-orange, like the drink Nate had just bought for her the day before) and it didn't _smell_ suspicious, but that didn't mean anything. She had read before of poisons that could dissolve in drinks and leave not a trace, and she was _not_ going to risk dying because this drink looked and smelled like the one Nate had bought her.

...But she _was_ rather thirsty. Hesitantly, she dipped her finger into it and tasted it (she'd spit it out if it tasted funny, she reasoned) and found it had a very nice taste. Almost like apple-tart, or custard, or cherry pie- it was gone in a heartbeat. She noticed almost instantly that it was no normal drink- she was beginning to feel a tingling all throughout her body, starting from her toes and crawling up until even her hair was singing with sensation. And looking around, had the doors always been that high? And the table! It was growing, no, Tessa realized what the drink had done.

She was shrinking.

Immediately several thoughts ran through her mind. The door- she could fit through! But what if the shrinking didn't stop? How would she get normal sized again?

After she stopped—about ten inches, she presumed, with relief—she set off to the door. But alas! She found that the little golden key was still on the table, and there was no way she could reach it, it seemed to be thousands of feet high, and Tessa was now only inches tall. She tried to climb one of the legs, but it became too steep, and she slid down to the floor and couldn't help a few tears from slipping out.

_No, this will solve nothing!_ Tessa berated herself, _stop crying!_

She normally gave herself and her brother rather good advice (though Nate seldom followed it), and sometimes she scolded herself so harshly that she nearly began to cry. As it were, she put her head in her hands and let herself feel sorry for a moment, then resolved to find a way out. Presently, her eye fell on a little box that she'd not seen before, (and the same glint of those green-gold eyes) and in it was a beautiful little cupcake, with two words written in vanilla icing on its top.

_Eat Me._

Almost annoyed now, she bit a little corner of it, and thought, _if it makes me larger, I can reach the key, and if I grow smaller, then I can get under the door. I don't care which one happens!_ As it were, nothing happened (which generally was the case when people ate cake), and it was rather disappointing.

"Maybe I've got to eat the whole thing," she mused. It was not a bad cake—rather, it was one of the most delicious cakes she'd eaten—so she set to eating the whole thing.

...

The tingling sensation was back, and now it was nearly unbearable. The table next to her now appeared to be the size of a doll's table, and she could barely see the key, glittering on its top. After a moment of scrabbling, Tessa managed to grasp the key and realized her newest problem: now she was too tall to enter the door. And there was no cake or drink to help her this time. Only a fan, which she supposed she might as well use- it was getting hot, anyway.

_What would Nate do if he were here? And Mother and Father- oh, they would laugh if I told them this story. It does seem rather unbelievable, doesn't it; cakes and drinks that make you grow and shrink? And that Jem, wherever did he go?_

As she thought this, she looked down at her hands, and was surprised to see the floor rapidly approaching. She must have been inches tall again, and realized the cause of her shrinking was the fan, which she immediately dropped.

"Now for the garden," she said to herself, and this time, key in hand, ran to the little door. It opened, at last, and she stepped through. To her disappointment, she was still too small to see everything properly (each strand of grass was the size of a small tree, it seemed).

_I shall be able to see quite better if I could get to the top of that hill,_ she thought. There she came upon a large flowerbed, and she sat in front of one of the flowers.

"Oh, I wish you could talk. It is quite lonely."

"We _can_ talk," said the tiger-lily, "when there's anyone worth talking to."

Tessa was so astounded that she could not speak for a moment—who could have thought flowers could talk? But then again, after the cake and the drink and the fan, this should not have been that surprising—but then she was finally able to say, "Can all flowers talk?"

"As well as you can," replied the tiger-lily, "well," it seemed to frown down at her, "a great deal better."

"Manners," the rose whispered, "remember your manners."

"How can you all talk? I have been in many gardens, but none of the flowers could talk."

"The ground," the daisy giggled, "feel the ground!"

Tessa did. "It's very hard, but-"

The rose interrupted quietly. "In most gardens, the beds are so soft that all the flowers stay asleep."

"I never thought of it like that before!"

"In my opinion, you never think at _all_," the tiger-lily said, rather harshly.

"What sort of flower are you anyway?" the violet spoke. Tessa jumped at that, she hadn't even seen it there.

"She looks like a weed," the daisy said through giggles.

"Nasty sort," the tiger-lily sniffed, turning away from her.

"I am not a weed!"

"That's what a weed would say!"

"But I am _not_ a weed!"

"Send it to Epsilon!"

"Who's Epsilon?"

But the flowers just pushed her from the garden, chattering above her the whole time. They deposited her none too gently outside the bed and Tessa stood and began to walk. _Wherever had Jem gone?_ She stopped after a while in front of a rather large mushroom. She stretched herself up on her toes and peered over the edge of the mushroom, and there her eyes met those of lady, who was reclining with her arms folded, quietly smoking a hookah. They looked at each other for a long time in silence, then at last the lady took the hookah from her mouth, tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder, narrowed her eyes, and said in a cold, languid voice, "_Who,_ are you?"


	3. The Caterpillar and the Cat

**So.  
I still would like to have 5 reviews before I post a new chapter, but because I only got one new one...9 until the next chapter. This was just a "I haven't abandoned this story" thing** **Anyway. Notes at the end of the chapter** **Also I've split this one in half, so the next one should be up soon- if I get reviews. Thanks**

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The lady sat staring at Tessa for a long time, then repeated the question. "_Who_ are you?" she said, then put the hookah back in her mouth.

Tessa was appalled. This was not a good opening for a conversation, and the way the lady—Epsilon, the flowers had said—glared made her uncomfortable.

"My name is Tessa. And you are?" she asked politely. Mother always had said politeness was a virtue.

The lady raised a delicate eyebrow coldly. She didn't say anything, and neither did Tessa. She blew a ring of smoke from her lips and stared down at Tessa, and Tessa stared back. Everything about her seemed fragile, and yet somehow unbreakable. _Like ice,_ Tessa thought. A shard of cold intelligence gleamed in her eyes—luminous green, almost catlike. She wore a dress of rich blue silk, her skin porcelain white and almost gleaming against the dark fabric. A delicate rope of lapis colored stones were wrapped around her neck like a dark scar. And her hair- pale blond (so light it was almost white), fell around her shoulders in waves. She was slender and elegant, dignified and beautiful. The sort of person Tessa wanted to be.

"Haven't you been taught manners?" she asked. It was meant to come out coldly, but it was more languid than anything.

"I have, but at the moment, I am not myself, you see."

"I _don't_ see," said the lady.

"I am afraid I cannot put it any clearer than that," Tessa replied, "for I cannot understand it myself. Being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing."

"It is not."

"Well, perhaps your feelings are different," Tessa replied, "but it is confusing to me."

"You!" said the lady, contemptuously blowing out a ring of smoke, "who are you?"

Tessa threw her hands up. She felt a little annoyed at the lady's short remarks, and, after a moment, said, "I think you ought to tell me who you are."

That brought on a frown. "Why should I?"

Tessa could not think of any good reason to that, and the lady turned away, again bringing the hookah to her lips. Tessa huffed and began to walk away.

"Come back," the lady called after her, "I have something important to tell you!"

This sounded promising. Maybe she knew where Jem had gone. Tessa turned around.

"Keep your temper," said the lady, "an unchecked temper is not ladylike at all. And you walk like a duck. The Hatter would be most disappointed."

"Is that all?" Tessa swallowed down her anger the best she could. _A duck? The Hatter?_

"No," the lady drawled out. For some minutes, she puffed away without speaking, but at last she unfolded her arms, took the hookah away, and said, "So you've changed?"

"I'm afraid I have, ma'am. I cannot remember things like I used to, and I keep changing sizes!"

"Can't remember what things? And don't call me ma'am. It's old and stuffy."

"If I knew your name-"

"Call me Camille."

_Camille._ It was a beautiful name.

"Now, what can you not remember?"

"Books! Books and passages-"

"Recite For Her Surgery."

"By Jack Butler?"

Camille just raised her eyebrows. "You ask too many questions." She ignored the glare sent her way and listened as Tessa began.

_"Over the city the moon rides in mist,_  
_scrim scarred with faint rainbow._  
_Two days till Easter. The thin clouds run slow, slow,_  
_the wind bells bleed the quietest_  
_of possible musics to the dark lawn._  
_All possibility we will have children is gone._

_I raise a glass half water, half alcohol,_  
_to that light come full again._  
_Inside, you sleep, somewhere below the pain._  
_Down at the river, there is a tall_  
_ghost tossing flowers to dark water—_  
_jessamine, rose, and daisy, salvia lyrata..._

_Oh goodbye, goodbye to bloom in the white blaze_  
_of moon on the river, goodbye_  
_to creek joining the creek joining the river, the axil, the Y_  
_goodbye to the Yes of two Ifs in one phrase..._  
_Children bear children. We are grown,_  
_and time has thrown us free under the timeless moon."_

"That is not right," Camille frowned.

"Not quite right, I'm afraid," Tessa fidgeted with her hands, "some of the words have gotten altered."

"It is wrong from beginning to end," Camille retorted, and there was silence. After a long while- "What size do you want to be?"

My old size, she was about to say. But that would not have been the proper response. "I do not know, only one does not like changing so often, you know."

"I do not."

Tessa said nothing. No one had ever been this infuriating, and did it so effortlessly. Even Nate didn't.

"Are you content now?"

"Well, I should like to be a little larger. Three inches is such a horrible height."

"It is a very good height indeed!" Camille spoke, rearing herself upright. She was exactly three inches high.

"But I'm not used to it!"

"You'll get used to it in time." Camille's anger was gone as quickly as it'd come, so quickly that Tessa thought she'd imagined it.

Instead of getting mad, Tessa decided to wait until Camille decided to speak again. In a minute or two, she yawned, and shook herself. Then she slipped from the mushroom, and began to traipse away. As she went, she remarked, "One side will make you grow taller, and the other side will make you smaller."

_One side of what? Other side of what?_

As if she'd spoken aloud, Camille said, "Of the mushroom." In another moment, she was out of sight.

Tessa let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. After a moment of contemplation—it hadn't looked like Camille had been lying, but then again—she took a corner off of the right side, and a corner off the left. That done, she sat (more like, nearly collapsed) beneath the mushroom, suddenly exhausted.

...

A rustling in the bushes behind her, but nothing was there. Tessa turned around and only a little squeak came out.

"Have I got something on my face?"

Tessa just shook her head. "_Wh-where_ is your face?"

The glinting green-gold eyes blinked, as if in shock. "Oh, right." he laughed- "the expression on your face was priceless. I couldn't resist." An invisible hand tugged a loose lock of her hair, and she scowled and batted his hand away.

"Who are you?"

The eyes closed, opened. _They had slit pupils,_ Tessa realized, _like a cat. _"You're cute. I _like_ you. I think the Hatter will, too."

And then all of him was visible. He was tall- taller than her by a head. And unusually tanned- but it looked nice on him. Especially with his eyes. He grinned, the edges of his slanted eyes squinting further.

"How about...call me Magnus."

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**So. That poem is a real poem (I thought it was funny that "jessamine" is used in there, haha)  
**

**I already talked about the reviewing thing sooooo...yeah**

**Next we'll be meeting the Hatter (I think?) and his crew. That'll be fun, won't it?  
**


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